WORLD SERIES: Fister's efforts go for naught, as Tigers fall in Game 2

Detroit Tigers' Doug Fister is examined after being hit by a ball off the bat of San Francisco Giants' Gregor Blanco during the second inning of Game 2 of baseball's World Series Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Detroit Tigers' Doug Fister wipes his face during the second inning of Game 2 of baseball's World Series against the San Francisco Giants Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

SAN FRANCISCO -- Everyone knew Doug Fister was a tough sonofagun.

After all, he took a line shot off the pitching hand in the American League Championship Series, and stayed in the game.

But a line shot off the head is something else, entirely.

That's what happened to the Tigers' lanky starting pitcher in Thursday's Game 2 of the World Series, when Gregor Blanco laced a comebacker right back to the mound, clipping his head before Fister could get his glove up in self-defense.

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He'd stay in the game again, tough it out, but it wasn't enough, as San Francisco scratched out a 2-0 win in Game 2, putting the Tigers in a two-games-to-none hole in the series.

"It was a tough night. Obviously had a couple balls that didn't go our way," said Fister, with absolutely no irony intended. "It's OK. We're going to come back, have a good safe trip back to Detroit. We're going to get some work in tomorrow and come back in Game 3."

The Tigers will have to win two of the next three games at home -- starting with Saturday's Game 3 (8:07 p.m./FOX) to send the World Series back to the West Coast. That back-against-the-wall feeling isn't anything new to a team that needed to rally in the final 16 games of the regular season to even make the playoffs.

"We've done it all year. We've definitely battled all year and it's going to take some work for us to get back. But we've been fighting all year and we've had our backs against the wall before so we don't lack any confidence or trust in one another," Fister said. "Obviously we play this game to win every day. So it's not a good feeling to be down 0-2 going home but it's OK. We're gonna go win three and come back."

If it sounds like Fister's trying to calm you down, it's a lot the same role he had when everyone rushed to the mound to see if he was OK, after Blanco's second-inning liner -- a change-up he squared up perfectly -- could've ended his night.

Or far worse.

The ball glanced off the right side of Fister's head, and caromed into center field for a single. He saw it the whole way. Just couldn't get his glove up in time.

"I froze for a second. I didn't know if I had a chance to catch it or not but I definitely froze," center fielder Austin Jackson said.

Tigers head trainer Kevin Rand and manager Jim Leyland both hustled out to the mound to check on him, immediately.

"He was acting like he was OK. They asked him where he was and he had every answer. He was kind of trying to make us laugh, but it was definitely a scary moment," said catcher Gerald Laird. "I got a good view of it. It hit him pretty well. I kind of cringed when I saw it. It was going right at him. It happened so quick. ... That could have been a lot worse, obviously, so thank the Lord that he's fine and that it just glanced him."

Fister was the calmest one out there, though.

"I definitely realized it," he said. "I knew it was one of those things I just had to convince everybody else that I was fine."

Rand quickly administered a battery of questions.

Where are you? "San Francisco."

What game is it? "Game 2."

How many outs are there? "Two."

So Rand told him to get the next out.

He did.

And then some.

The pitcher would walk Brandon Crawford to load the bases, but get the opposing pitcher, Madison Bumgarner, to pop out to end the threat.

Then, he'd retire 12 straight before allowing another baserunner, as Game 1 hero Pablo Sandoval singled with two outs in the sixth, on Fister's 101st pitch.

He'd last one batter into the seventh, exiting after giving up a leadoff single to Hunter Pence, just the fourth hit allowed on the night.

After that, even his teammates could joke about the situation.

"I didn't know what happened. I just know that it came in the outfield and Doug kept pitching," left fielder Delmon Young teased. "Then I found out it hit him in the head, so I felt bad for the ball."

The rest of the evening was no joke, though.

Drew Smyly would would load the bases with a walk to Brandon Belt and a bunt by Blanco that the Tigers waited on, in the hopes it would roll foul, then

A double-play ball off the bat of Brandon Crawford was all it took to break the scoreless tie, plating Pence with the go-ahead run. It was the first inherited runner the Tigers' bullpen had allowed to score this postseason. It would also end Fister's streak of scoreless innings pitched at 12.1, dating back to the seventh inning of Game 2 of the ALDS. The Giants would add an insurance run in the eighth, when Smyly and Octavio Dotel would combined to walk the bases loaded, and Hunter Pence's deep sacrifice fly made it 2-0.

That would render Fister's efforts moot, but hardly impact how impressive they were.

"He pitched a heck of a game, and he's coming out empty-handed. But we've gotta score runs. If you don't score runs, you're not going to win games. We just haven't been swinging the bats the last couple of games," Laird said, admitting his batterymate seemed to pitch better after the scare.

"I'm sure -- it's his first World Series, and like anybody else, he was trying to get his confidence. I think that might have just scared all the jitters out of him."

The pitcher, though, just took it in stride.

"No. I'm not concerned. I've got a minor bump," said Fister, who didn't feel any pounding or see any stars. "According to my dad, my whole life, his saying has always been if I got hit in the head, I'm OK. So that's how I'm taking it."

Email Matthew B. Mowery at matt.mowery@oakpress.com and follow him on Twitter @matthewbmowery. Text keyword "Tigers" to 22700 to get updates sent to your phone. Msg & data rates may apply. Text HELP for help. Text STOP to cancel.